Massaging machine



Dec. 4, 1951 W, T, CAMERON 2,577,646

MASSAGING MACHINE Filed June 1P., 1948 ...provide a, simple. andfezitremel, beneficial machinaparticularlyfadapted ffo ing the muscles Vand nervesfpa from thewbase ofthe, skull to manner to loosen and relax; the.mu sles and nerves, releasing nervesifnpnged o1-pinched by .contracted muscles and greatly increasingcirculation to produce a very desirable stimulating Patented Dec. 4, 1951 2,577,646 @oai-fics 1Vlillifun.illimimfs A Cameron, erienntario,

Canada `...Applieatim June 12, 194s, serial N0.-,;e.2,6s'zv .This invention-relates@ almas aeinslmeehine and the. principalyobieet? 0f "mei einem *is to effect. l v

A further and impo rtant1 object isY tolprovide a massaging machine Whichwill beneficially, exercise the vertebrae withoutjarring or other harmrful or detrimental effects.

The principal featureof the invention-:Consists .in providing a roller .tablecomprising positively driven endless. series ofceccentrically, journalled e .rollers adaptedI to rotate With-an eccentric motion under thevveight of apatient and. provided with 4central groovesto receive thespinalcolurnnand prevent jarring of same.

A further. important featurerconsists irlarranging a positively rotatedv drum at thehead ofthe table andV mounting a plurality;of -.eccentrically journalled rollers around l the.periphery.; of the 4drum to vmassage theneck of the. patient.

A kfurther andA important feature. consists in arranging asplurality. of largeeccentrically jour- `nalled rollers beneath `the .upper-.reach ofthe. endless series offrollersto form a supportingsurface for same-providing a riseandfall-ofthe roller table in accordance `with .the .rotation of the enlarged rollers. i

A still further featureA consists in providing at least some of the endless series of rollers of .differyent size than the adjacent rollersand at least ysome as non-rotating rollers to provide aeglide stroke in the massaging action. i

A still further, feature .consists .in providing some of theeccentric rollers With diierenteccen- `of the muscles of the 'backA the nerves "and blood vessels associatedwith the nerves and feeding the spinal cord become pinched producing harmful eiects and reducing circulation .lf Normal physical exercise will not counteract this naturalcontraction of the muscles Ywhich vrequire y.exercising at frequent intervals to retain them irfila relaxed healthful condition. l

I have found through careful experiment that 2 my machineeproduces the, desired kneading and n to thoroughly relaxrandloosen y theJniuscles. easing crampednervesfand asso- V l ciated .hloodjvessels'and permitting: materially inations- I' have else. foundehat my machine enables the exercising. Ofthevertebrae to thgroyghlyfrelag a patient Without in v any way Y producing jarring or harmful effects.

@he action of my machine will be understood on.,re erbenceto the-aCcOmpanying dravvingsin .f/.Whic K1.sh:vv afpair off spaced drums orrollers I rotatabl supportedbetween the sides of acasf ;irisiesiie ne the' tee ihefeei Extending between and passing over thepelfph- 15 ery. of thedrums .l are twospacedflat endless ;belts3,andsecured to.eachgof these.ibelts is a i u lurality'offjournalfblocks 4.

'Extending 'between opposing pairs of\j ournal blocks y.ar'e.rr allers v .lprovided with eccentric shaft zalexteeeiens' Yi which 'were ieureelled intheieernel blocks. Thus the -rollers 5 Yareeccentrically jourallee D e'tweee the. ieilmel blocks eedfretetefwih an eccentric action.

Each of the rollers 5 is providedlwith a cirrcumferential groove 1v adjacent the centre to re -g ceivethe spinal, ,Column ef e eetientgpleeee--en the roller table "as formed by'the endless series of rollers 5.Y Preferably a fixed or non-rotating rrilo 8 is arranged {atfspaced intervals between, groupsv of rollers 5 and rollers 9 having shaft extensions I0 of different eccentricities atthe opposite ends, as shovvn VinnFigure 3, .are arranged at intervals b etweentherollers 5. Both th'efribs androllers are `lorovidel with y centralgrooves corresponding. to the circumferential grooves 1. Arranged at spaced intervalsbeneath the upper reach of theflexiblebelts 3lare fPair'of enlarged mfxrollersl which are eccentrically ysupp'orted bet W een the sidewalls ofthecasing 2. These rollers norrnally support v the uppern reach ofi the vendless 'rollers under the Weight o f a patient."

Arranged at the bottom. oftheasing 2.15 a. lfietel. |2-whieh drijf/ies. afshaft' i3 through suitable speed'reducingplleysM.' This shaft i3 extends [between thesides of the casing l adjacent the centreI andbeneath the lower reach of the endless -sof `,rollers 5.

p lleysflSat the ends thereof and extendingbe- `tvveenthese pulleys and reduced pulleysA I 6 on the eefitielerive Shaft I3 ere Suitable V-belts l1 .Beth di-*lime .lere thus positively retefted et' e reletivelyslovv speed randfcause the endless series of y Vecdcentrically journalled rollers "to travel across the open top of the'casing in thedirectionof the arrow Figure 1.

' Extending between the Walls of the casing at 50 theh'e'ad ofthe machine'i's a s haft l8 which is Mounted on the 'shafty i8 is a drum "2l having 'nach o f the drums 1 -is formes wn-.n enlarged 3 a plurality of rollers 23 of a size smaller than the rollers 5 eccentrically journalled around the periphery of its end flanges 24.

It will be noted that the drum 2| and rollers 23 carried thereby extend somewhat-faboveethe upper reach of the endless series of rollers 5 and in the normal operation of theinach'inethe patient is placed on the upper reach of the rollers 5 with his neck resting on theroll'ers 23.

In the operation of my machine the patient lies on the roller table as formed by theupper reach of the endlessrollers 5 with his neck on I 'the'.ro'llers' as described-and with-'the'fro'llers '5 extending to adjacent ythe base of his spine or jooccyx and withhis legs extending overthe edge ofthe machine orpreferablyiwith hisknees'vdrawn up and-his feet'pla'ced on the platform 25; asprovided bythe casing 2.

The weight of the patients torso is 'thus :acting to depress'the'upper reach of the-rollers 5 'and to force same downwardly to contact the enlargedrollers I'l arranged beneath'the-belts 3.

` With 'the motor i2 operating thedrums vvI are positivelyrotated through the V'belts I'I-*and the flat belts 3 are operated in th'direct-ion of--the arrow.

Therollers 5'and'thel enlarged rollers Il rotate under the'weight of 'thel patient-with-the 'eccentricity of the rollers 5 'acting to knead and-massagethe muscles or the back as they move beneath the patient,"whi1e the enlarged'rollers Il amplifytlie effects of'thesmaller rollers and also cause a tilt of'sections of the roller table'and a subsequent fall of theroller table to exercise the vertebrae. n Thus all'thein'uscles of the` back arebeing kneaded and exercised gently yet eciently while the backbone," which lies in the circumferential central groove 'i of thero'llers is'pr'even'ted vfrom jarring'. Similarly the muscles adjacent'the base of the skull or in"the"neck"are being 'exercised by the rotation of thedrum 2'! "carrying-'the'rolters 23, which'again, due to theireccentri'cmovement, 'effect massaging and' kneading' action.

'With the provisions of the' iixedv` ribs 8'sp'a'ced at intervals between the rollers ap'eriodic gliding stroke down the patients back is provided and thisaction 'has been found to materially increase the kneading and flexing of the muscles.

A further 'beneflcia1..motion is obtained'with the rollers 9 'which'have*differenteccentricities at opposite ends. These rollers `ll'are preferably larger than the rollers 5 'and' provide av pronounced lateraltilt and fall to thetable asthey'prog'ress under the patients back.

With the various l arrangements of 'eccentric rollers described the musclesare `subjected to a thorough kneadin'g and flexing and become loose and'pli'able in an'extremely short time; allowing free circulation and releasing pinched o'r impinged nerves, alleviating harmful and often painful conditions of the back and beneficially exercising the arrar-igements` oieccentric rollers may :befprovided without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth the .appended claims. A What tclaim as my invention is:

1. In a massaging machine, a pair of endless flexible belts, `an endlessseries of rollers, eccelle "tri'cally `ournalled between vvsaid belts to rotate Von eccentric axes with the axes of rotation at opposite ends of the rollers being eccentric, the

nl '.upperreach of said endless series of rollers forming a roller table, means for driving said end- "lessrollerseries to rotate said rollers under the Weight of a patient placed thereon to massage 'ii' :theamuscles ofy the back from adjacent the neck "centrally in said rollers to receive to the coccyx, and a peripheral groove formed the spinal column.

2. Amassagingimachineucornprising alpair of end-less flexible 'Y belts, journalsf carriedi by Asaid ffbelts;fanfendlessrseries of rollers, formedlfwith opposite lends ofs'aid rollers-being eccentric, the lupper reach ofL-s'aid endlessroller series forming afroller-itabla mean's .for .driving said-endless lfroller series,` 4and .lenlarged 'rollen means eccentrically journalled beneath the upper reach. of

'lsaidroller series toeraise and flower.4 .portions of Y endlessi'series of..rollers each :formed with a pesaid rfoller. .'table: upon rotation.

31. Inl'almassagingimachine, a". pair ofiendless flexible belts, journals car-riedby. said belts, an

' iripheralfgrooveadjacent thecentre andi-having eccentric-pin extensions mounted in'saidzjouri nals with the axes of'said pinlextensions at oppositeends of'said rollers being` eccentric;;means 'fordriving said .endless roller series, enlarged rollers eccentrically journalled'beneath thel up- 'i .per reach of "said 'endless rollervseries, rotatable nmeans arranged atene :end of the ,upper reach ofsaid'endlessiroller series, eccentrically journalled rollers carried bysaid: rotatable means to receivef'the4 neck of a patient flying on the upper reach of. said-endlessroller series, and means for weffectingtherotation of'said rotatable means.

4.*A'device as claimedin claimf in' which some ofthe rollers of said endlessrolleruseriesare of w nafsizei'larger-than vthe adj acentU rollers.

5. In=`a massaging machine; an4 endless `series of rollers journalled at their endsfriorerotation,

r the fupper reach ofrsaidrrollers series forming a rollertable; means forI driving said endless roller 'series tof-:translateieach rollerlongitudinally of 5outhetablebeneath andlongitudinally ofthe back of a patient lying onthe'table, atleast some of longitudinal tilting `motion of said: latter .rollers transversely offthe .table while heilig ytranslated vllongitudinallyof said table, and eachor" said roll- --flersbeingfformed with'a central. groove .tc denne a groove running longitudinally andcent'rally of said table toreceive the vpatients: spinal column to prevent jarring thereof by said rollers having vlcompositei motion oli-translation, rotation and f `longitudinal tilting. 1

l WILLIAM THOMAS CAMERON.

` 'REFERENCES `CITED i' The-following yreferences are of record in the #ille of Athis patent:

' 'UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date "1,367,544 Gardner Feb. 8, 1921 1,630,911 Wentz May 31, 1927 A 42,310,106 MillerV .Feb 2,1943 2,359,933 `4`vNiblack Oct. 10,19% 

